We must get beyond textbooks, go out into the bypaths and untrodden depths of the wilderness of truth, and explore and tell to the world the glories of our journey. (Attributed to both John Hope and John Hope Franklin)
The History
My Stories
Granddad Forbes and The Civil War
One day when my son was in elementary school and studying the Civil War, my dad told my son, "The Civil War wasn't civil!" Right he was, but I wonder what else he would have told my son if he had known that his 2nd great grandfather had fought in the war, along with his brother, to secure their own freedom and, consequently, ours as well. In fact, when I was young, my dad used to take me to one of his favorite places to think: The VA Hospital on the James River just near Fort Monroe. Unbeknownst to him, he was introducing me to the exact land where his ancestors trained for their roles in the war. In this story, take a journey into Isaac and Robert Forbes' experiences serving in the Civil War alongside thousands of other Black men who refused to be bound by slavery and took it upon themselves to stake their claim in a country that they had helped to build without compensation.
Learning from the Past
"Our Stories in Trees" is a series that takes a deep look into historically significant trees that still live today. These trees have lived through significant moments in Black history within the United States of America. All of the trees are Virginia Live Oaks, scientifically referred to as Quercus Virginiana. Virginia Live Oaks tend to live along America's southeastern and southern coastlines, primarily existing from Virginia to Texas. They are quite sturdy and durable, and they were used, in part, to build America's infrastructure. Since Africans were removed from slave ships along these same coastlines and sold into slavery, it is little wonder that we can place significant events that involved Black people within close proximity to these trees. Join me on this journey through trees to learn more about our history!
Learning from the Past
"Our Stories in Trees" is a series that takes a deep look into historically significant trees that still live today. These trees have lived through significant moments in Black history within the United States of America. All of the trees are Virginia Live Oaks, scientifically referred to as Quercus Virginiana. Virginia Live Oaks tend to live along America's southeastern and southern coastlines, primarily existing from Virginia to Texas. They are quite sturdy and durable, and they were used, in part, to build America's infrastructure. Since Africans were removed from slave ships along these same coastlines and sold into slavery, it is little wonder that we can place significant events that involved Black people within close proximity to these trees. Join me on this journey through trees to learn more about our history!
Learning from the Past
"Our Stories in Trees" is a series that takes a deep look into historically significant trees that still live today. These trees have lived through significant moments in Black history within the United States of America. All of the trees are Virginia Live Oaks, scientifically referred to as Quercus Virginiana. Virginia Live Oaks tend to live along America's southeastern and southern coastlines, primarily existing from Virginia to Texas. They are quite sturdy and durable, and they were used, in part, to build America's infrastructure. Since Africans were removed from slave ships along these same coastlines and sold into slavery, it is little wonder that we can place significant events that involved Black people within close proximity to these trees. Join me on this journey through trees to learn more about our history!